TMNT: Dark Trinity
by Pheonix500
Summary: The Hamato clan and company is in pursuit of their missing comrades, but may not like what they find.
1. Chapter 1

**Dark Trinity**

 _2016_

 **Disclaimer: I have no claims on anything TMNT, created by Eastman and Laird and currently owned by Viacom (to the best of my knowledge). This is just for fun and I have no intention to profit from this. Normally, I'm all for turning my stories loose for all to use as they see fit, but as this one isn't my brainchild, so anyone wanting to make use of this premise, should probably run it by Shinigamilover2 first.**

 **Note: This is a story request by Shinigamilover2 (who kindly provided me with the title, premise and plot outline and beta read this [along with Katstories] for me) and is a third installment in the Wrath of Darth Maul series. This is also a crossover of TMNT with Star Wars. I rely on Shinigamilover2 and Katstories for almost all of the Star Wars stuff, since I'm only passingly familiar with Star Wars canon. If there's anything blatantly wrong, it's probably a result of my Star Wars ignorance and not intentional. Please don't be mad.**

 **Special thanks to Katstories for betaing this and helping me navigate the complex web of Star Wars lore.**

 **Chapter 1:**

 _Leo stood in a vast, desert wasteland that seemed to stretch out forever beyond the legions of heavily covered warriors that filled the space. The air was dry and furnace-like and the wind bit at his exposed skin, each gust filled with grains of sand._

 _Before him stood a figure, clad from head to toe with robes and bandages, obviously the leader of the force facing off with him. Whoever it was wore a sleeveless, brown cloak belted over a cloth tunic and pants. Hands and face were wrapped up in bandages with bits of metal, resembling the barrels of guns, poking out from his head. The round eye lenses resembled Donnie's welding goggles and the device hooked around the individual's neck reminded him vaguely of a harmonica on a metal neckband._

 _"Master Hett." He spoke in a voice that did not belong to him, addressing the stranger as though the person was someone that he knew._

 _"The force be with you Master Kenobi. So, you too survived Order 66, I thought I was alone. What brings you to Tatooine? Let alone these trackless wastes?" The stranger's voice revealed him to be male, or at least that's the impression Leo had. Though his words weren't aggressive, his posture was still guarded. Master Hett watched him warily, despite the relief he'd expressed over his survival of whatever Order 66 was._

 _Leo didn't know how to respond, but apparently, his body did, acting with a mind of its own. "You do, Master Hett. You lead these Tuskans as their warlord, not something a Jedi should do."_

 _The stranger, Master Hett it would seem, tensed. "Do not lecture me, Obi-Wan. We were both generals in the clone wars, 'Warlords' for a republic that turned on us."_

 _He could feel his body move to shake his head, though this physical form seemed so different from his own. It was too tall and lacked the weight of his shell. "Past mistakes do not justify current ones. The danger is near of becoming what you fight. It was the trap the Jedi fell into, and it is s trap that takes you now, you must stop."_

 _Master Hett was clearly not pleased with that response. "I do not, I was raised to manhood amongst the Tuskans by my father Sharad Hett, the greatest Jedi of his age. He taught me to think and act as a Tuskan. These are my people! Will the settlers stop killing Tuskans? Then blood calls for blood! The settlers will be forced to abandon their land, or be buried beneath it!"_

 _Oh shell, what had he gotten into. "I cannot permit that." Gloved, human-shaped hands ignited a blue lightsaber. "You were a great Jedi Hett, and the son of a great Jedi. But you have given yourself over to revenge, it stops here."_

 _Master Hett's posture turned openly aggressive as he took a fighting stance. "You will have a Jedi's funeral Master Kenobi." Twin, green lightsabers, grips stitched over in leather, flared to life. Threads decorated with beads and bone dangled loosely from the handle of one. "That I promise!_

Leo snapped awake, relieved to find himself in his body and his room on the Fugitoid's ship.

"It was a moment from the past."

He about fell off the edge of the bed as Gravid's voice drew his attention to the corner of the room where the ethereal figure of his teacher lounged on a chair. "Holy shell! What are you doing here? Were you watching me sleep? Have you never heard of privacy?"

Gravid considered his questions for a moment. "I'm here to ensure you aren't screwing up my legacy. Yes, I was watching you sleep. There's not much else to do while you were wasting time on such mundane necessities. And I have heard of privacy, but don't really see the appeal or the point."

Tempting as it was to demand that Gravid leave his room immediately, Leo had a pretty good idea of how likely that was to work and decided it would be a waste of his energy.

In the meantime, Gravid picked up where he'd left off. "As I was saying, that happens sometimes, seeing visions through the Force. You might get a bit of the past, a sense of some other part of the present or glimpses of things that may yet be. You'll get used to it."

Leo scowled. "What bit of past was I seeing?"

Gravid waved his ghostly hand dismissively. "That's not what's important. The take away is to not obsessively lose sight of the bigger picture just because you've taken a small blow. It is easy far too easy to allow distracting minutiae to consume you when you take it personally."

Leo's hands balled into fists as he clenched his bedding. "A small blow? Members of my family were abducted by a madman, again!"

As usual, Gravid seemed unconcerned with his ire. "Yes, and playing this game of chase isn't getting you much of anywhere."

It was true. For the better part of a week, he'd been trying to follow his connection to Mikey and, to a lesser extent, April, but while he could sense them, it did not translate well into space navigation. He didn't know how April had done it before, but he had a lot more respect for her accomplishments. He could give Fugitoid a general direction, but once he got it narrowed down, it was like playing a game of hot and cold to inefficiently narrow down to a more exact location and, despite having a slower ship, Maul managed to stay one step ahead.

"And what do you expect me to do?"

Gravid smiled. "Finally we're getting somewhere. Feel free to keep tracking if you like, but you needn't spend all day, every day at it. Once Maul gets where he's going and stops moving, it will be easier. In the meantime, you really should be training your brothers so that they have a chance of, how do you say it, not getting their shells handed to them in the next fight."

Leo wanted to argue. He really did. But Gravid had a point. His family functioned best as team and if Raph and Donnie were to be assets instead of liabilities, he needed to catch them up before the next showdown. Taking a deep, calming breath, he got out of bed and started gearing up.

Gravid grinned. "It's about time. I'm actually curious to see how you do."

As Gravid appeared to wink out of existence, Leo muttered "I'll bet" before making his way to the holotrainer. He'd get things set up and call everyone in when he was ready.

* * *

"For the record, I think this is a bad idea."

Leo glanced over at Ahsoka, who waited beside him in a holographic version of his dojo from home. "Noted."

Not having anything specific to do, she'd arrived first. The rest would get here soon, despite the short notice he'd given them. With Mikey and April at stake, no one would argue for a change.

"You are too young and inexperienced to teach." Ahsoka continued.

He nodded. "I'm know, but I don't really have a choice, unless you're willing to step in."

She shook her head. "I'm not qualified to teach either and am unwilling to accept the consequences of doing something rash in desperation. I know what can go wrong in mishandled Force training and its devastating."

Leo frowned. "My family is stronger than you know, especially together. I understand that it might not seem worth it to you, but we need to get Mikey and April back. We will get them back."

Ahsoka looked away sadly. "I understand loss, better than you know, and, though I haven't been here long, I feel the loss you've suffered too." Her voice was softer than he'd heard it previously, but before he could ask, the door opened and Donnie came in, wheeling what looked like a pile of electronics on a cart.

Leo looked at him dubiously. "Now really isn't the best time to try multi-tasking."

Donnie blinked in surprise. "What? Oh, no I'm not going to work on him now, but he wanted to watch."

Leo cocked his head to the side, studying his brother curiously. "Him?"

Donnie nodded. "I had started working on a mobile robotic body first, based loosely on Fugitoid and my designs for Metalhead, but once I got his senses online, he explained that he wanted it done completely different, so I needed to start over."

"Tell me you aren't talking to that computer mess." Raph and Mona came in just in time to catch Donnie's explanation.

The heap let out a series of whirrs, clicks and beeps that left Donnie and Ahsoka snickering as Raph looked around in bewilderment.

"It is good to see you again." Ahsoka smiled as she approached the cart and was answered with another string of beeps.

Raph glared at Donnie. "It said something bad about me, didn't it? Don't think I won't smash it?" Though he'd clearly meant it, Raph did have the good sense to back off at Ahsoka's glare.

"Relax Raph, he was just making a few completely factual observations about your linguistic limitations." Donnie's attempt at a straight face as he spoke wasn't fooling anyone.

"I swear, I'm…"

"Casey Jones has arrived. Let the beat-down training begin." They all turned as Casey swaggered into the room.

Leo cleared his throat. "Um, about that. As far as we can tell, you don't have any Force sensitivity, so…"

Casey crossed his arms over his chest defiantly. "So? Casey Jones doesn't need any voodoo magic to bring the hurt."

Leo sighed. "Be that as it may, it doesn't make this training session specifically relevant to you."

"What? That's total BS. I can participate."

Before Casey's tantrum could rev up to full meltdown, Mona stepped in. "While they are mastering new skills, I have decided to work on your combat abilities, raka raka."

"Uh, sure. I could give you a few pointers." Despite his words, some of Casey's confidence deflated as he watched in trepidation as she moved to the far end of the large room.

Raph gave him an encouraging elbow. "Don't worry. I'm sure she won't mop the floor with you too badly. She wants to teach you, not break you."

Casey scowled at Raph. "We'll see who mops the floor with who." Then he turned to follow Mona.

While that had been going on, Donnie had wheeled, what Leo could only assume was R2D2 whom Ahsoka had acquired from Daedalus, into the corner to observe the proceedings.

"So, is Ahsoka gonna be teaching?" Raph looked between Leo and Ahsoka.

"Actually, I am."

Raph raised an eye ridge at him. "Isn't she better than you?"

Leo didn't have a chance to respond before he was interrupted.

"That remains to be seen. After all, I personally oversaw your brother's brief education and don't worry, I won't allow him to screw up too badly while training you."

Raph and Donnie both yelped and jumped back, drawing their sais and bo respectively at the sight of an incorporeal stranger materializing behind Leo. Ashoka looked at him questioningly.

Leo cleared his throat again. "Uh, this is the instructor, I found to train me, Gravid sensei."

Gravid huffed. "I prefer Master Gravid, boy."

"What exactly is your background?" Ahsoka turned her attention to Leo's instructor.

"Formerly Sith, though I have since dedicated myself to the creation of a wholly new Force art and philosophy."

Donnie and Raph's eyes snapped back to Leo in shock and Raph stomped forward. "Are you freaking kidding me? You want us to train under a Sith? Isn't that what the guy who took Mikey and April is?"

"Former Sith. As is your opponent, though I suspect for completely different reasons. He still holds to a lot of their attitudes as far as I can tell, even if he does despise the Order rather intensely. My breach was less personal more over conflict with core beliefs and tenets."

Raph glowered at Gravid. "And we're just supposed to take your word for it?"

Gravid shrugged. "You can or not, as you will, but I'm no more Sith, than your friend here is Jedi."

Ahsoka, who'd been eyeing Gravid warily since his declaration, frowned. "Valid as that may be, it's not entirely comforting and in no way suggests that you are trustworthy."

Gravid snorted. "Why? Because you're still as closed minded as your former brethren, though I'm sure they would have liked to consider themselves otherwise."

Her eyes narrowed at him and for a moment Leo thought she might attack, though what she could do to harm a ghost, he had no idea. Perhaps she came to the same conclusion as she ultimately stayed her hand.

"If you want to prove me wrong, withhold judgement. Observe the fruits of my training and then decide whether or not you agree or disagree."

She didn't answer immediately but, after some hesitation, gave him a stiff nod of distrustful acknowledgement. "I'll be watching. Closely." Clearly a threat, despite her acquiesce.

Gravid shook his head, chuckling. "My thanks. Your generosity knows no bounds." Not giving her a chance for a snappy comeback, he returned his attention to Donnie and Raph. "Relax. I'm not asking you to learn from me, I mean do I look masochistic? Your brother will be your instructor. I'm mostly just here for moral support and to loudly point out all of his screw ups."

Leo shot Gravid one final glance before choosing to ignore the spirit to the best of his ability. "Right, so we're starting with mediation."

"What?" Both Donnie and Raph barked out protest in unison for one of their least favorite training techniques. In fact, Leo was pretty sure that he was the only one of the four of them to truly appreciate mediation.

Raph scrunched his beak in distaste. "I thought we were supposed to be learning how to fight with this Force crap?"

Leo took a long, calming breath, wondering not for the first time, how his father hadn't gone ballistic on all of them while trying to teach. "Because that Force crap is within you and until you're consciously aware of it, you can't control it. You want to do this or not?"

Raph and Donnie shared a mutual look of defeat before joining Leo in lotus position, Donnie just miserable and Raph grumbling. "This had better be worth it."

Leo had trouble hiding his grin. "Just wait. You'll see."

* * *

Maul landed his ship on Dathomir's desolate surface, ambivalent towards being back. His last visit to his ruined home world had not gone as well as he'd hoped. While part of his winding journey here had been to throw off his pursuers, at least some of it had been born of reluctance. He'd wanted to present himself as a reigning conqueror, not a supplicant but his options were becoming limited and his desire for success outweighed his pride, though admittedly, not by much.

Standing up from the helm, he made his way to the main cargo bay where he'd dumped his guests to sleep the journey away. The research facility he'd sheltered on before had rather conveniently possessed several functional neural inhibitors of varying types, probably for incapacitating test subjects for whatever it was they'd been studying.

He'd helped himself to a few of the ones designed for bioelectric-biochemical nervous systems which had ultimately proved a prescient move on his part. It had relieved him of the obligation to keep them appropriately contained and controlled as he had with the captured warrior, a task that would have been considerably more complicated with the innate abilities possessed by these captives, even relatively untrained.

They still lay where he'd dropped them, in a coma-like state their biological processes slowed to a near halt by the electronic metal discs affixed to their temples. He picked up his guests and dumped them unceremoniously onto a platform hover-cart to easily transport them to the site where she should be waiting. It didn't take him long to reach the circle of stones.

Leaving the cart for a moment, he went to stand in the center and waited, knowing that she would sense his presence.

"Maul, you have returned to me." He could hear her voice seeming to come from both everywhere and nowhere. A faint, ethereal figure stepped out from within one of the vertical slabs of rock.

Despite how she'd faded he could still make out her nearly colorless eyes set in her long, angular face, painted stark white save for a few dramatic accents of black rising up from her eye sockets and spreading out from her mouth, giving her a distinctly skeletal appearance. Her garments were still red and flowing where they did not jut out at rigid points. She reached out towards him with a white, claw-like hand before remembering herself and thinking better of it.

He nodded to her. "Mother."

Mother Talzin bowed her head. "My son. It has been a long time. I had almost despaired of ever seeing you again."

His mouth twisted into a parody of smile. "I am not so easily disposed of and now I have outlived both the Sith and the Jedi. It is all mine for the taking, save for one obstacle."

Mother Talzin floated closer. "Then the obstacles to achieving your destiny shall be removed. You have come for my aid?"

He nodded reluctantly. "I also have a gift." From one of his belt pouches, he removed a ruined piece of old cybernetics, twisted and deformed from exposure to extreme heat. He'd been fortunate enough to run across it at the auction house.

His mother bent forward to examine it, trailing a ghostly finger along its surface. "To think a piece of Grevious survived the ravages of time. And I can still hear an echo of his essence embedded in it. His suffering and service will be sweet indeed."

She straightened, looking down at him once more. "What can I do for you my son?"

He scowled. "A group of inexplicably troublesome novices stand in my way and have thwarted my plans twice now. One of them will belong to me, but I must remove the rest before I can claim what is mine. I have managed to acquire a few of my enemies and wish to utilize them against the rest."

Mother Talzin looked past him towards the bodies piled on the cart.

"The shelled one is Force sensitive. The other is not, though she has the capacity to manifest similar abilities."

Mother Talzin hovered over the girl. "No, she is more like me, in possession of a power independent of the Force. I can feel it in her." Her eyes fixated on the pendant around the girl's neck. "So the Aeons actually gave away a piece of their soul? Interesting."

"Can you use it?" Maul started to reach for the pendant, but Mother Talzin held up a hand to forestall him.

"It is bonded to her. But that might work out better. She will make an excellent conduit through which the life force of the universe can be drawn." Mother Talzin hovered a hand over the girl and the pendant began to glow. Even with her neural processes constrained, somehow the girl still arched and screamed as light was pulled from her aura into Mother Talzin making her ghostly form more clear and vibrant. The light faded and the girl collapsed once more while Mother Talzin hummed with pleasure. "Yes, this arrangement will suit me very well."

Maul crossed his arms, waiting for her to finish savoring the energy she'd drawn. "Can you control them?"

Mother Talzin looked back over the unconscious bodies. "I can bind their will, but their usefulness will have limitations in their untrained state. Neither will have full access to their potential."

"Unless they believe they know more than they do. There should be something in one of these to maximize their efficacy." He withdrew the holocrons, retrieved from the collection of the auction house appraiser, from his belt pouches and held them up to her.

Her face stretched into an unnaturally wide smile. "Yes, these should contain exactly what we need to augment your new soldiers."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2:**

Ahsoka stood alone in her room, eyes closed and concentrating.

Gravid materialized behind her. "Well, this is unexpected."

She turned and glared at him. "Don't think for one minute that I trust you. Whatever your plans are for them, if they are harmed in any way as a result of what you've done, you will have me to contend with."

Gravid smiled indulgently. "Under normal circumstances that would be threat worthy of giving pause. You are more powerful and capable than you've shown. But I am something else entirely. You'll understand when your time is finally done."

Her eyes narrowed. "I will find a way."

"You just might." He shook his head and sighed. "You don't have anything to worry about though. They are my legacy and I am invested in their survival."

Her lips compressed into a thin line. "I'm concerned with more than their physical survival."

"Because you are still operating under the assumption that I am like Maul." He raised a ghostly eyebrow at her.

She crossed her arms over her chest. "Aren't you?"

He sighed. "No. Though you and Maul and departed from your respective organizations, you still carry the spirit of them with you as a fundamental part of who you are. My split was much deeper."

For a moment, the room around her shimmered and in its place appeared the illusion of a massive archive, where a robed figure was destroying countless records of information.

"The past?"

"My past."

She snorted. "And this is supposed to inspire my confidence in you?"

The corner of his mouth turned up in an ethereal smile. "In my time, this was the sum total collected wealth of the Sith."

Her eyes widened. "And you were destroying it?"

He nodded. "Everyone thought I was insane, but I'd never been seeing more clearly. My encounters with the Jedi of my time had gradually revealed how compelling some of their philosophies were. More than compelling. Right where the Sith were utterly wrong. Not that I bought into the whole kit and caboodle of their beliefs of course."

She cocked her head to one side. "Kit and caboodle."

He chuckled. "A colloquialism of Leonardo's native language. You should really try out the way they speak there. It's great fun."

She eyed him skeptically and he cleared his nonexistent throat. "Anyway, I wanted to start over with a blank slate. Clear away the old Sith and create something new, something better."

The barricaded door burst open and a Twi'lek woman entered the room. At that point, Gravid waved the illusion away.

Ahsoka glanced at him. "You're going to stop there? Who was she?"

He laughed dryly. "My apprentice and she was not copacetic with my new vision for the Sith. The rest is a predictable bore. We fought. She lost a limb. I lost my life. Same old story. But we'll see who gets the last laugh. I may have waited millennia, but I will achieve my vision."

Ahsoka frowned. "Which is?"

He grinned. "The Jedi and Sith favored purifying out parts of a person they considered undesirable, whether it be our darker impulses or the weakness of our gentler emotions, but people, the entire universe, are a blend of all these things. Trying to exist as fractions of ourselves, carving out and denying pieces of who we are, isn't wise or healthy. I believe we need to view ourselves honestly, accept what we see and choose our actions with that full understanding of ourselves. Anything else and something's likely to give eventually."

"So you…?" She raised a hand, palm up, questioningly.

"Haven't tried to change Leonardo. He should be who he is, whether or not the Orders of old would see him as flawed. That should relieve you as there's more Jedi in him than Sith."

Her brow furrowed as she considered that. "It seems irresponsible. How can you know that he won't falter with the skills you've taught him, become something he would abhor?"

Gravid shrugged. "I don't. But even without the Jedi to police your thoughts and actions, did you falter and become a monster? That's not the history I saw in your past."

She frowned and looked away. "I was raised by good men."

"And so were Leonardo and his family. If you had met their father, I think you would have liked him. Have some faith in your new friends." With that he vanished, leaving her to her thoughts.

* * *

Donnie slumped into the rolling chair in the makeshift lab that Fugitoid had allowed him to set up, frustrated. He wasn't progressing as much as he wanted to, normally something that only periodically bugged him with his ninjustu training back home, but now, with April and Mikey on the line, it seemed much more urgent that he get it right.

He could hear the door open behind him and looked to find Raph stopping in with…was that a plate of food? He raised an eye ridge at his brother. "Uh, am I dying?"

Raph snorted as he set the plate down on the desk. "You forget to eat. Without April or Mikey here, you'll be nothing but a shell by the time we need to fight."

Donnie smiled, picked up the sandwich and took a bite.

"Aren't you supposed to be resting between training sessions?"

Donnie shrugged and swallowed his food. "This is how I rest. Where's Mona?"

Raph smiled. "Running through some holotrainer simulation at Fugitoid's bone-break difficulty. She plans to be ready for the fight this time."

"Not batting Casey around?" Donnie asked, only partially joking.

Raph shook his head. "Nah, he's in the infirmary having that machine knit some of his bones back together before he gets back at it."

Donnie chuckled. It wouldn't kill Casey to get taken down a notch or two.

Raph glanced over at the desk. "So, watcha workin' on?"

Donnie smiled at the rare interest Raph was showing and spread open the blueprints. "R2D2's body. He helped me come up with the schematics, based on his original design."

Raph frowned. "That's him? He kind of looks like an office trashcan."

Donnie shrugged. "He's a mechanical engineer, it's an efficient design for storing a wealth of interchangeable tools. I've have added a few extra weapons at his request and some more thrusters here and there for additional maneuverability."

"Mechanic huh? Guess you too get along?" Raph was looking at him thoughtfully as he spoke.

"Yeah, he totally gets what I'm talking about most of the time, not that you guys aren't great, but sometimes I do miss being understood." Donnie answered enthusiastically.

Raph winced. "Sorry about that. But seriously, sometimes it's like your speaking another language. Where is he anyway?" Raph looked around the room, seeking R2's cart.

Donnie shrugged. "He's catching up with Ahsoka. I guess they've known each other a long time."

Raph sighed. "He really is a like a person, then?"

Donnie nodded. "And a good friend of Ahsoka's. Not sure why you're having trouble with that. You get on with Fugitoid well enough."

Raph shrugged. "But he's got a real brain."

Donnie chuckled. "Something we didn't know until he started training April in her psychic powers."

Raph sighed. "Fine. I owe him an apology. I hate apologizing."

Donnie laughed again. "Trust me, I know. I get it though. It's been…rough since we lost them."

Raph scowled. "And just sitting around doin' nothin' while we wait for Leo to find them isn't working for me. I hate waiting."

Donnie's smile was sad this time. "Yeah, I know that too. But we aren't doing nothing. We're learning Leo's new 'magic' skills. Or at least some of us are." He sighed heavily. "How are you doing it? The whole thing makes no logical sense. It's like all that philosophical mumbo jumbo that Sensei tried to teach us."

Raph shrugged. "If Leo can do it, then I can do it."

Donnie managed a half smile. "Glad to see your competitive nature is working out for you. I wish it were that simple for me."

Raph clapped a hand on his shoulder. "You'll figure it out. Just stop trying to think about it like Leo does. Science it up, like you usually do."

Donnie cocked his head to the side thoughtfully. That might actually work. He'd just need to run a few experiments to pin down what fundamental laws governed the phenomenon. Ahsoka was in the lab often enough when he was working on R2D2's body. Perhaps he could enlist her help.

"Do you think Mikey's scared?"

Breaking out of the cycle of his thoughts, Donnie noticed that Raph was looking away now as he spoke. He wanted to reassure his brother, but didn't think lying would be very productive.

"Probably, but he's got April with him, so he isn't alone, right?" Assuming Maul hadn't separated them. He chose not to point out that possibility. "But it's Mikey. I don't think he has any doubt that we'll come save them, so I bet that helps a lot."

Raph smiled. "Good. Because we are going to save them. I'll let you get back to work as long as you don't forget to finish eating."

Donnie's eyes lit up as he remembered something. "Wait, you've got to see this. I think I finally got it right."

Raph watched him skeptically as he opened a drawer and pulled out the product of a week's worth of work. His brother was probably seeing a metal baton and wondering if he had just yanked one of the pipes out of the engine room.

"Uh, that's great Donnie."

Yup, that's what he thought. "It's my new weapon. Like Leo's swords. Whenever we've stopped to refuel and resupply, Fugitoid's been going out and looking for energy crystals to buy. Ahsoka calls them kyber crystals. I guess they're kind of scattered everywhere, but also hard to find. Still Fugitoid has managed to get a few. We probably owe him more zemulacs than we'll ever be able to pay back."

Raph tilted his head to the side as he examined the metal bar with new eyes. "Is it a sword, because swords aren't really your thing. And the handle looks too long."

Donnie grinned. "Nope. It's a staff, like my one from home, just infinitely better."

With the press of a button, he activated it, wondering if he should have tested it out privately before showing it off. His concerns were relieved as twin lines of energy emerged from either end, forming a staff. Relief that faded into confusion as he examined it.

"Green, huh? Would've thought you'd go for purple, but if those crystal things are hard to find, I guess beggars can't be choosers. Ain't nothin' wrong with green though." Raph winked at him, but lost the teasing smile at the sight of him frowning. "Donnie?"

"I don't understand. The crystals weren't green. How?"

"So it used to be a different color?"

Donnie shook his head. "Well, I'm not sure. I haven't turned it on before, but…"

Raph shrugged. "Then maybe you just got the crystal color wrong when you plugged 'em in."

Donnie frowned. "I guess I must have." He mentally pushed the concerns aside for the moment, determined to look into the issue in more detail later. "Anyway, check this out."

Turning it off, he pressed another button and the metal grip extended out either end, until it was the length of a full staff. Activating it again, an energy version of his naginata blade speared out the tip.

Raph snorted. "You really did recreate your weapon from home. Tell me that thing is Mikey-proofed. I've already been almost unintentionally stabbed enough from whenever he got a hold of your old staffs."

"I've got a few fail safes built in. You'd think if he can manage converting between his nunchaku and kusari-gama, he wouldn't keep accidentally messing up with my bo."

Raph scanned the clutter across Donnie's desk. "Think I could use a weapon upgrade too?"

Donnie tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Well the physical support edges of your jitte do present vulnerabilities against energy weaponry. I could probably design…"

"I think it needs these. How do they go together?" Raph reached out and grabbed a couple of loose parts, clearly not sure what to do with them.

He was about to shoo his brother away, telling Raph to let him handle it, but some instinct held him back. That and the fact that the parts he'd chosen would work for creating an energy weapon. Hmm. Why not?

He reached out to show Raph how they could be connected and for the next hour they sat together constructing twin weapons out of the myriad of pieces he always kept scattered about. At the end, Raph was staring at the pair of handles with an expression of wonder. "Is that what makin' stuff is always like for you?"

Donnie laughed. "Yeah, it is."

Raph smiled. "I'll try not to bust your chops about it so much anymore."

Donnie rolled his eyes. "Glad to hear it."

"So how do I turn 'em on." Raph tried pressing the button on the handles to no effect.

Donnie dug through one of his drawers. "They still need those kyber crystals I mentioned earlier."

Raph sighed. "Let me guess. You used all the ones Fugitoid bought on yours."

"Yes, but we still have Maul's. The ones Leo took out of the staff piece he cut off. As long as you don't mind using them."

The corner of Raph's mouth curved up into a smile. "Nah, red's my color anyway. Besides, it seems fitting to use 'em to save April and Mikey."

Donnie pulled out the small case containing the crystals and inserted them into Raph's weapons.

Before firing them up, Raph turned the handles around in his hands, spinning them experimentally a few times. Sensei would have said that he was establishing a bond with his weapon, but Donnie suspected it was more about getting used to the change in weight and balance.

Then Raph activated them and Donnie blinked, trying to make sense of what he was seeing.

"Uh Donnie, I thought the crystals were red."

Donnie just gaped at the bright, white jitte prongs. "I…I have no idea."

Raph flipped the switch, altering the configuration of energy conduits at the top and the lines of light split and reformed into the triple sai points his brother usually favored, but the energy was still white.

Raph shrugged. "Boring, but not hurting anything I guess."

Donnie laughed. "At least they aren't pink."

* * *

Maul stood at the edge of the circle of stones watching his mother work. His enemies, soon to be temporary allies, were laid out on two of the several rock slabs that inhabited this particular henge.

Mother Talzin sat in the center, eyes closed as she chanted. He could sense streams of unfamiliar energy flowing towards her like a vortex, gathering at her center. Her eyes snapped open, glowing red, and the two prone figures levitated slightly off their stone foundations, each surrounded by a sickly green aura. Though their eyes were closed, he could detect green light escaping from the edges of their lids as they illuminated in a manner similar to his mother's.

The light faded and the contained energy blasted outward with enough momentum to stagger him backwards. The bodies dropped and his mother exhaled slowly, looking much less distinct than she had before the ritual. Without her sisters to support her, it appeared the task had taken a heavy toll. No matter. The girl could replenish her. And at least this spell had been less disturbing than the last one.

 _He observed uncertainly as his mother gathered together a heap of scrap metal and bones, having granted her this one indulgence. With a bitter smile, she placed the warped piece of Grievous's last cybernetic implant in the center._

 _Burning with light stolen from the girl with the crystal, she summoned tendrils of black and white energy, sprouting from the ground like malicious plants. The fog-like arms reached out, seeking the pile of refuse his mother had collected, relics leftover from the war that was Dathomir's demise._

 _Sinews of light and darkness connected with bone and corroded metal, yanking the pieces together into one, like a macabre puppet. From there it spread across the unfortunate creature's twisted body forming a papery layer of withered, oozing flesh. Putrid eyeballs inflated into the empty sockets, filling with sentience as the cybernetic remnant cemented into place in the center of its forehead._

 _Grievous's conscious awareness, enough even without a soul, was present, knew what he had become and was helpless to fight it. The abomination dropped into a low bow before his mother, gravelly sounding, broken vocal cords scraping out the next word. "Mistress."_

As much as he enjoyed Grievous's humiliation and suffering, he was too practical to allow a resource go unused and had sent the ex-general back to the ship to scrounge for pieces in the hopes of reconstructing himself as something that might function as a warrior in the upcoming battle.

As his mother predictably drifted towards the girl to make another meal of her life force, he considered what steps still needed to be taken. The approaching fight required a venue he could turn to his advantage. That and Dathomir carried too much taint of defeat for his taste. No, he needed to do this somewhere else.

Additionally, his soldiers still had to be properly armed and Dathomir lacked the required resources to accomplish that. But he knew a place that would serve both purposes.

"I must voice my concerns again. The choices you've made are dangerous."

He glanced to his side, finding the much more defined, ethereal form of his mother floating there. Apparently, he was so inured to the girl's screams that he no longer took note when they started or stopped.

"Great things are not accomplished through caution. Besides, you have assured they will obey me."

Her lips pursed. "To an extent. They will each see you as their respective masters and each other as lesser servants rather than rival apprentices, but Darth Zannah slew her master, Darth Bane, and Darth Caedus was never much inclined to listen to anyone, not even Lumiya.

"Currently, the girl believes she is not ready to challenge you and the boy is certain that your enemies are also his, but I cannot deviate too far from their chosen personalities or the illusion will fail. She could easily turn on you and there is no guarantee he won't try and accomplish his goals by his own means rather than your orders. You walk a dangerous line."

He smiled. "That's how I prefer it. They were chosen because I believe their abilities will be effective despite the risks. Besides, I only require them for a short time. Once they have slaughtered my enemies, the illusion will no longer be necessary. We can dispose of the boy, the girl will be yours and my apprentice will be much easier to break after the destruction of his family."

Mother Talzin looked back at her creations. "And you are so certain they will prevail?"

He nodded. "My enemies wish to save them and will not be willing to harm them, where as they need only be concerned about the survival of my apprentice and I'm not overly picky about what condition he ends up in. Physical damage can always be overcome, as I well know."

Mother Talzin frowned. "I still believe your brother would have…"

"No." Maul cut her off before she could voice the suggestion again. "My brother is gone and I will not accept a cheap lie in his place."

Her eyes narrowed, but she held her tongue.

"If that is all, I must get them back on the ship before they awaken. That will be a much simpler environment to begin the charade."

Mother Talzin eyed him curiously. "And where are we going, if I may ask?"

A savage smile spread across his face. "Ilum."

* * *

Leo sighed, suppressing the urge to break something as he abandoned his meditative state. Somehow, he'd lost his connection to Mikey and didn't want to admit how disturbing that was, even without being able to track his lost brother any longer.

He considered trying again when someone knocked on the door. "Enter."

The door slid open, Space Heroes style, and Ahsoka stepped into the room.

Leo frowned and looked away. "If you're here because Fugitoid needs adjustments to our course, don't bother. I've lost my link with them."

Ahsoka's brow furrowed for a moment as she considered the implications of his admission, but cleared as she refocused on her original purpose. "We'll tackle the source of that problem once we've identified it."

He raised an eye ridge. "We? Are you joining the team now?"

She smiled. "Just because I'm justifiably cautious about training you doesn't mean I'm not on board. Besides, you need me."

Leo crossed his arms over his chest. "Need is a strong word, but I won't turn down the help."

She fixed her gaze on him. "You've been fighting Maul, what? A few weeks? Months? He's been an adversary of mine for decades. Trust me when I say you need me."

Leo sighed in acquiescence. "Fine, but it's a moot point if we can't find him."

She strode over to one of the control panels in his room, calling up the display of a map. "About that, I think I've got an idea. I was looking at the general trajectory we've been on and I think I may know where he's gone."

Leo approached her with interest. "Really? Where?"

"The remains of his home world. Dathomir."


End file.
